There is no universal class action settlement for Instant Pot pressure cooker safety defects at this time, but multiple lawsuits are active against the manufacturer alleging serious design flaws that have caused burn injuries. Since 2024, at least two major lawsuits have been filed in different states claiming that Instant Pot units—particularly the Duo Nova model—can eject pressurized, scalding contents because the lid can be rotated or removed while the cooker is actively pressurized, despite the manufacturer’s claims of safety features. The parent company, Instant Brands, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2023 and was acquired by Corelle Brands in 2024, raising questions about liability and compensation for injured consumers.
If you suffered burn injuries or property damage from an Instant Pot pressure cooker, you may be eligible to file an individual claim or join pending litigation. An Indiana resident who experienced a lid explosion while using an Instant Pot Duo Nova on January 10, 2024, filed a lawsuit alleging the device’s safety mechanisms failed to prevent the pressurized lid from detaching and causing serious burn injuries. Similarly, a lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court in June 2024 claimed design defects allowed scalding contents to be forcefully ejected from the unit. Understanding your legal options requires knowing the specific safety defects at issue, which manufacturer is now responsible after the bankruptcy transition, and what damages similar pressure cooker cases have recovered.
Table of Contents
- What Safety Defects Are Alleged in Instant Pot Lawsuits?
- How Prevalent Are Instant Pot Safety Issues and What Injuries Have Been Reported?
- What Recent Lawsuits Have Been Filed Against Instant Pot Manufacturers?
- What Happened to Instant Brands and How Does the Bankruptcy Affect Your Claim?
- How Can You Determine If You Own an Affected Instant Pot Model?
- What Compensation Have Other Pressure Cooker Injury Cases Recovered?
- What Should You Do If You’ve Been Injured by an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker?
- Conclusion
What Safety Defects Are Alleged in Instant Pot Lawsuits?
The core safety allegation in Instant Pot litigation is that the lid can be rotated and removed while the unit is pressurized, allowing scalding liquid and steam to be forcefully ejected onto the user. Instant Brands markets its pressure cookers with statements about safety features designed to prevent exactly this scenario—specifically, mechanisms intended to lock the lid in place and prevent opening under pressure. However, consumers and their lawyers argue these safety features are inadequate or fail to function as advertised, leading to severe burn injuries that would not occur if the lid was genuinely prevented from opening under pressure. The Instant Pot Duo Nova model has been specifically named in at least two recent lawsuits. The design defect is not merely a user error or failure to follow instructions; rather, it appears to be a structural problem with how the lid interacts with the pressure release mechanism.
When the unit is pressurized and the lid’s safety lock fails—or can be bypassed—the pressure inside forces the lid open with enough force to project boiling liquid onto whoever is standing near the cooker. This is dramatically different from a cooker where the lid remains mechanically locked until pressure safely vents. Other pressure cooker manufacturers have faced similar allegations and larger damage awards. In December 2024, a Denver jury awarded $55.5 million in a Sunbeam pressure cooker case involving second- and third-degree burns covering 13 percent of the plaintiff’s body from an explosion on June 3, 2019. Although that verdict was later reduced to approximately $9 million in May 2025 under Colorado’s damages cap, it demonstrates that juries take pressure cooker safety defects seriously and award significant compensation for severe burn injuries.
How Prevalent Are Instant Pot Safety Issues and What Injuries Have Been Reported?
Documented injury claims related to Instant Pot pressure cookers have increased since 2023, corresponding with the company’s bankruptcy filing and increased legal scrutiny. The January 2024 Indiana lawsuit describes an incident in which an Instant Pot Duo Nova’s lid exploded while the unit was pressurized, causing the plaintiff serious burn injuries. The June 2024 New Jersey lawsuit alleges a similar defect—the lid’s ability to be removed or rotated while pressurized—resulting in injury from scalding liquid ejection. These are not isolated incidents. The design flaw—a lid that can be opened or removed under pressure—creates a recurring hazard.
Every time someone uses an Instant Pot with this defect, they face the risk of a sudden, violent release of pressurized steam and boiling liquid. Unlike other product defects that may fail only under unusual circumstances, the Instant Pot lid defect can occur during normal, intended use. A consumer following the manufacturer’s instructions and using the cooker as designed could still experience a lid explosion if the safety mechanisms fail or prove inadequate. A critical limitation in available claims is that no settlement agreement with disclosed compensation amounts has been publicly announced for Instant Pot injuries. This means you cannot point to an existing class action fund and receive a check. Instead, injured consumers must file individual lawsuits or participate in pending litigation, which requires proving the cooker was defective, that you owned or were using that specific model, and that the defect caused your injuries.
What Recent Lawsuits Have Been Filed Against Instant Pot Manufacturers?
The most significant recent lawsuit was filed on January 10, 2024, when an Indiana resident sued over an Instant Pot Duo Nova lid explosion while the unit was pressurized. The plaintiff alleged serious burn injuries from scalding liquid and steam that was forcefully ejected from the cooker, attributing the incident to failed safety features. The lawsuit claims the manufacturer was aware of or should have been aware of the safety defect and failed to warn consumers or recall the product. On June 5, 2024, another major lawsuit was filed in federal court in New Jersey making similar allegations about design flaws that allow the lid to be removed or opened while pressurized, resulting in severe burn injuries.
These two lawsuits represent active litigation, not settled cases, meaning the legal process is ongoing and no judgment or settlement has been finalized. The timing of these lawsuits is notable given that Instant Brands declared bankruptcy in June 2023 and was subsequently reorganized under new ownership (Corelle Brands) in 2024. This corporate transition raises important questions: Who is actually liable for the injuries—the old company, the new company, or both? The bankruptcy itself may affect which injured consumers can recover damages and from what entity. If you were injured before or after the bankruptcy filing, your ability to claim compensation may differ depending on how the bankruptcy court allocated liability.
What Happened to Instant Brands and How Does the Bankruptcy Affect Your Claim?
Instant Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2023, a significant event that reshaped the company’s structure and liability. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2024 as Corelle Brands, which now owns and manufactures Instant Pot pressure cookers. This corporate reorganization has major implications for consumers seeking compensation for injuries caused by defective products manufactured before the bankruptcy. When a company goes through bankruptcy, a court oversees the liquidation or reorganization of assets and determines how claims against the company—including liability for defective products—will be handled. The new entity that emerges may have limited liability for products manufactured by the old entity, or claims may need to be filed through the bankruptcy court rather than in civil litigation.
Some injured consumers may be relegated to filing claims in the bankruptcy court rather than pursuing individual lawsuits. Understanding whether your injury occurred before or after the bankruptcy transition is essential for knowing where and how to file a claim. If you were injured by an Instant Pot pressure cooker in 2023 or earlier, you may need to file a claim through the bankruptcy process. If your injury occurred in 2024 or later, you may pursue claims against Corelle Brands directly. An attorney specializing in product liability can review the details of your injury and advise you on the correct venue and procedure for your specific claim.
How Can You Determine If You Own an Affected Instant Pot Model?
The Instant Pot Duo Nova has been specifically identified in recent lawsuits as having the lid defect. To determine if you own an affected model, check the outside of your cooker for the model name—it may be printed on the base, the box, or visible on the side of the unit. The Duo Nova is one of several Instant Pot models on the market; others include the Duo Evo Plus, the Ultra, and the LUX. The design flaw alleged in current litigation appears to be most directly tied to the Duo Nova, though product safety experts cannot rule out that similar flaws might affect other models. One warning: even if your Instant Pot has functioned without incident for years, the presence of a design defect does not depend on whether an injury has already occurred.
A lid that can be removed while pressurized is defective whether or not you personally experienced an explosion. If you own an Instant Pot Duo Nova and have never used it after learning of the safety allegations, do not attempt to operate it now—the defect remains present. If you believe you own an affected model but are unsure, take a photograph of the model name and serial number and save it. If you have already been injured by an Instant Pot pressure cooker explosion, document the model name, photograph the cooker if possible, and preserve any medical records or photographs of your injuries. This documentation will be essential if you file a claim.
What Compensation Have Other Pressure Cooker Injury Cases Recovered?
While there is no Instant Pot settlement to reference, the Sunbeam pressure cooker case provides a benchmark for pressure cooker injury verdicts. In December 2024, a Denver jury awarded $55.5 million in damages for burns covering 13 percent of the plaintiff’s body sustained during an explosion on June 3, 2019. That award was later reduced to approximately $9 million in May 2025 due to Colorado’s statutory damages cap for personal injury. Even after the reduction, the final award of $9 million demonstrates that juries recognize the severity of pressure cooker burn injuries and will award substantial compensation.
The Sunbeam case is instructive because it shows the difference between a jury verdict and a final judgment. Defendants often appeal large verdicts, and state caps on damages can reduce what a jury awards. Your recovery in an Instant Pot case would likely depend on the severity of your injuries, the state where you file suit, and whether you can demonstrate that the cooker’s design was defective. Second- and third-degree burns affecting a significant percentage of body surface area—as in the Sunbeam case—are among the most serious injuries a pressure cooker can cause.
What Should You Do If You’ve Been Injured by an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker?
If you suffered burn injuries, other physical harm, or property damage from an Instant Pot pressure cooker, your first step is to seek medical treatment if you have not already done so. Even minor burns can blister and become infected; serious burns require emergency care and may require hospitalization, skin grafts, or long-term wound care. After receiving medical attention, document your injury with photographs, keep all medical records and bills, and obtain a copy of the medical report from your healthcare provider. Next, do not attempt to repair, disassemble, or further use the cooker if it has been involved in an incident.
The device itself is evidence of the defect, and you may need to preserve it or provide it to an attorney for inspection and expert analysis. Contact a product liability attorney—one who has experience with pressure cooker cases and personal injury litigation—and provide them with all documentation of your injury, the date and circumstances of the incident, the Instant Pot model, and any communications with the manufacturer or retailer. Looking ahead, regulatory agencies such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) may begin an investigation into Instant Pot pressure cookers if enough injury reports are filed. A CPSC investigation could lead to a mandatory recall, which would strengthen future lawsuits by establishing that the product is unsafe. Individual litigation is ongoing, and a class action settlement may eventually materialize if the number of injured consumers grows sufficiently or if the companies face enough legal and financial pressure to settle claims collectively.
Conclusion
Although no universal class action settlement exists for Instant Pot pressure cooker injuries, multiple lawsuits filed in 2024 allege serious design defects in the Duo Nova model that allow the lid to be opened or removed while the cooker is pressurized, ejecting scalding liquid and steam onto users. The manufacturer, now operating as Corelle Brands following Instant Brands’ 2023 bankruptcy and 2024 emergence, faces active litigation from injured consumers in Indiana and New Jersey, and additional claims may follow.
If you own an Instant Pot Duo Nova or have been injured by any Instant Pot pressure cooker model, document the incident, preserve the cooker if possible, and consult with a product liability attorney about your options. The Sunbeam pressure cooker verdict of $9 million for severe burns demonstrates that juries will award substantial damages in pressure cooker cases, and your claim may be part of future class action settlement if one is negotiated.